CORPORATE BLOGGING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Blogging has caused quite a buzz. From political activists to aspiring
novelists, industry pros and avid hobbyists, everyone seems to be starting
a blog. Recent articles in Business Week and Forbes demonstrate how even
the mainstream media is taking notice of their unprecedented growth and
increasing effect on our society. But can corporate blogging really deliver
measurable return-on-investment for your business?

In this paper, we address the following questions: why would a company
want to start blogging? Who should blog? What makes a blog successful?
And how can companies use this type of website to facilitate positive
business growth?

To find the answers to these questions, we surveyed bloggers
at hundreds of companies and conducted in-depth interviews with representatives
from six corporations currently leading the way in blogging activities.
What we discovered was that for the majority of our survey sample —including
some of today’s largest corporations and scrappiest underdogs —corporate
blogs are, in fact, living up to all the hype. Corporate blogs are giving
established companies and obscure brands alike the ability to connect
with their audiences on a more personal level, build trust, collect valuable
feedback and foster strengthened business relationships. More importantly,
these companies are enjoying tangible returns in their blogging investment
in the form of increased sales, partnerships, business opportunities,
press coverage and lead generation.

Companies that employ a well thought out blogging strategy encourage
the strongest community goodwill, and that goodwill, in turn, promotes
significant marketing and sales gains. It is said that success breeds
success. This holds very true for successful blogs. There is chain reaction
that begins with a real desire on the part of the blogger to provide value
and connect with their audience. The blogger shares useful and engaging
content —the latest information, help, discussion topics and ideas.
The way the audience responds to that content is key. When customers start
commenting, posting or tracking back to a blogging community, it can have
a viral effect —spreading out across the blogosphere. In addition,
companies that harness their customers’ knowledge and ideas find
better ways to satisfy their needs and wants, thus facilitating goodwill
in the community. For example, it is a common practice in blogging to
provide a link back to a thought originator, which is valuable because
backlinks are a way that search engines distinguish the order of the editorial
rankings. Higher search engine rankings translate into significantly higher
web site traffic and more sales leads. Thus, successful blogging breeds
success in other marketing and sales initiatives.

Greater word-of-mouth buzz on- and offline, higher search engine rankings,
increased press coverage and superior lead generation are just some of
the potential benefits of blogging in a corporate setting. In the next
chapters, we will examine the blogging strategies of a number of companies,
and learn how they are already reaping the rewards of their investment
in corporate blogging.

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